Inverness Elementary celebrates 23 years of scarecrow tradition

NORTH SHELBY — Each year around the middle of October, Inverness Elementary School celebrates the fall season with its very own scarecrow competition. This year marking the 23rd annual scarecrow decorating contest, members of the community are coming together more than ever to highlight this display of local school culture.

Football Friday: Bucs, Jags wrap up region play

Friday night means gameday for the local high school football teams, and Under the Lights is back to cover Football Friday. Hoover and Spain Park finish out Class 6A, Region 3 play. Hoover heads to Tuscaloosa County, while Spain Park travels to Hewitt-Trussville. For updates throughout Friday night and all...

New BCRI exhibit celebrates Alabama’s 14 historically Black colleges + universities

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) is celebrating Alabama’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with a new exhibit and a permanent tribute. “Historically Black: An Exhibit Honoring Alabama’s HBCU Legacy” opens today, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. Historically Black exhibit features artifacts from Alabama’s 14 HBCUs.

Football Friday: Patriots wrap up region play

Friday night means gameday for the local high school football teams, and Under the Lights is back to cover Football Friday. Homewood and John Carroll are back in action Friday night, as Homewood hosts Ramsay and John Carroll travels to Randolph in the region finale for both teams. For updates...

Alabama High School Football Week 9 Preview: Prattville-Vestavia Hills Headlines 4 Key Games

Alabama high school football Week 9 preview: Prattville faces Vestavia Hills, Piedmont meets Wellborn, and Hokes Bluff hosts Glencoe.

Prattville Tops Vestavia Hills in Top Alabama High School Football Matchup: Live Score Recap (10/23)

The No. 1 Prattville Lions (8-0, 6-0) play the No. 4 Vestavia Hills Rebels (7-1, 5-1) on Friday at Stanley-Jensen Stadium in Prattville. The game is scheduled t

Mountain Brook school board recognizes National Merit semifinalists, hears summer learning report

The Mountain Brook Board of Education recognized the 16 Mountain Brook High School students named 2027 National Merit semifinalists during its monthly meeting Oct. 19 at Cherokee Bend Elementary. The students are Mae Dapkus, Jack Pierce, Betsy Pringle, Clarke Gillespy, Wesley Portera, Indira Landau, James Burnette, Will Long, Lorelei Wei,...

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Honors All 14 Alabama HBCUs in New Exhibit

Alabama has more historically Black colleges and universities than any other state in the country, and starting this Friday, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is giving all 14 of them a dedicated spotlight. The new exhibit, called “Historically Black,” opens Oct. 23 in the Odessa Woolfolk Gallery and runs through Dec. 12, showcasing memorabilia, archival photos and artifacts that trace nearly 160 years of achievements and traditions across the state's HBCU network.

Jefferson County Schools to add A/C to nearly 500 buses after extreme Alabama heat

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — After a sweltering start to the school year, Jefferson County Schools is moving to install air conditioning on approximately 500 school buses, a major investment aimed at making daily rides safer and more comfortable for students and drivers. The Jefferson County Board of Education has...

Alabama specialty public high schools open 2027-28 admissions applications, offering school choice to all 67 counties

Mobile, Ala. – Students in Alabama from all 67 counties can now apply to four unique specialty public schools for the 2027-2028 school year. The State of Alabama funds these four tuition-free public high schools with residential components, offering Alabama families statewide school choice options regardless of where they live.

SUPER REGIONAL: PCA advances to Birmingham; Catholic eliminated

Prattville Christian coach Kaylon Cantrell certainly could have wondered at times if her team was on the right path, but on Tuesday she discovered the Panthers still play at the standard it takes to advance to the state tournament after sweeping Tuscaloosa Academy 25-13, 25-18 and 25-17 to advance to the state tournament for the fifth consecutive year.

Birmingham-area teachers named 2026 Charter School Teachers of the Year

The Alabama Public Charter School Commission (APCSC) named its 2026 Nelson Marshall Awards for Teaching Excellence recipients, honoring three educators for their dedication, leadership and commitment to student success. This year, all three awardees teach at Birmingham-area schools. 2026 Nelson Marshall Award winners. Elementary Teacher of the Year: Mrs. Tauna...

‘Our students deserve to be comfortable’: Air conditioning coming to all Jefferson County School buses

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - A welcome relief for students, parents and bus drivers in the Jefferson County School District. A bid to retrofit around 500 buses with air conditioning was approved by the Jefferson County Board of Education. “This is something our parents and bus drivers have asked us...

Football Friday: Rebels head to Prattville

Friday night means gameday for the local high school football teams, and Under the Lights is back to cover Football Friday. Vestavia Hills heads to Prattville in the final Class 6A, Region 3 contest for both teams. For updates throughout Friday nights and all season, follow sports editor Kyle Parmley...

Briarwood cruises to regional finals, state tournament with pair of sweeps

HOOVER – It was business as usual for the Briarwood Christian Lions as they sealed their second-straight state quarterfinals appearance and put themselves in position to take the top seed once they get there. Briarwood swept the Westminster Christian Wildcats in the first round of the North Super Regionals...

SGA seeks to preserve traditions

Samford University and the Student Government Association (SGA) have launched a new Traditions Council, bringing students from across campus together to protect the university’s longstanding traditions and help build new ones. The council held its first meeting Wednesday, Oct. 14, where members began discussing its vision and what the...

Thompson HS announces cancellation of final regular season home football game

ALABASTER, Ala. (WBRC) - Thompson High School announced Monday what was meant to be their final home football game of the 2026 season will not be played. The game was set to be played against Choctawhatchee High School, a school in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. However, due to Hurricane Isaias hitting the Gulf Coast on Friday, Oct. 9, the school is still experiencing “lingering effects” from the storm, including scheduling conflicts, according to Thompson Athletics.

Birmingham City Schools hiring tutors

UAB opens $192M Shelby Biosciences Research Building

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The University of Alabama at Birmingham officially opened the Shelby Biosciences Research Building on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The eight-story building off University Boulevard is 228,735 square feet. It is expected to expand UAB’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research capacity, which could lead to advancements in treating cancer, mental health, aging, chronic disease, neuroscience, precision medicine and artificial intelligence-enabled health care.